Agricultural enterprise management method and system

ABSTRACT

A computer-implemented cloud-based agricultural enterprise management system and methods. The system comprises a plurality of modular components for receiving and processing data pertaining to agricultural production of commodities by an agricultural producer and for centralizing and storing the received and/or processed data in a single cloud-based database. The producer can provide to one or more third-party suppliers and/or service providers, authorized but restricted access to selected components of their agricultural enterprise management system and cloud-based database so that together, the producer, suppliers and service providers can effectively and cost-efficiently plan and manage the delivery of products and services during a crop production cycle, and the sale of harvested agricultural commodities. Separate modular components may be provided for inputs exemplified by agronomy data, crop production inputs data, crop growth and performance tracking, commodity market data, weather monitoring and forecasting, farm equipment maintenance, enterprise management overhead components.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to computer-implemented methods and systems formanaging farm-related commercial transactions. More particularly, thisdisclosure relates to computer-implemented methods and systems foridentifying, evaluating and optimizing options for crop selection, croprotations, resource allocations, selection of crop production inputs,and application of inputs, risk management, and farm production-relatedcommercial transactions.

BACKGROUND

The size and scope of farming i.e. agricultural production enterpriseshave been increasing during the last two decades as the producersendeavored to increase productivity while maintaining or reducing theirinput costs and overhead costs. There is a large assortment ofinteractive web-based applications (“apps”) now available for anagricultural producer to input their annual field-by-fieldproduction-related agronomic data for assimilation and correlation withthe historical data for the fields, and then for assimilation of thecorrelated production data with related inputs and/or services datarecords pertaining to fertility and pest management to provide accuratehistorical data regarding annual and multi-year revenues andreturns-on-investment generated by the different crops that were grownon those fields. The results of such data entries, processing, andreporting are commonly used by the producer to assess crop productionoptions available for an up-coming growing season and to concurrentlyforecast revenues and profits for each of the crop options based on thehistorical crop performance of their fields.

Such applications generally used by agricultural producers for selectionand assessment of their crop production options for a selected field,are generally based on a decision matrix that incorporates: (i) theproducer's preferred crop rotation cycle for each field, (ii) thehistorical annual production data on that field for each crop optionbeing considered, (iii) current commodity pricing and related futuresforecasting for each crop option, (iv) projected input requirements andrelated costs for each crop option, (v) projections of crop yieldscorrelated over a selected range of input quantities for selected inputoptions e.g., selected fertilizers and pesticides, and (iv) estimationof ranges of potential revenues and profits for each crop option relatedto the ranges of types and quantities of inputs selected for each cropoptions. The current agricultural management apps are functionally“reactive” in their operation in that their calculated projections ofyields, revenues, and performance efficiencies are based on mathematicalprocessing of and correlations with historical data. Such apps make itpossible for producers to monitor the current status of their currentcrop production cycle with regards to input costs, rates of plant growthand development, for the purpose of predicting yields and associatedproduction costs. These types of apps can now be run on handheld devicessuch as tablets and smartphones as well as on portable and desktopcomputers.

Also available are a wide assortment of programs and apps for suppliersof ag-chemical products and services to support their supply planningfor upcoming crop production season, for example estimation of thevolumes of fertilizer products and pesticide products they need to bringinto inventory in order to ensure adequate supplies to service theirclient base. It is now possible for an agricultural producer tointegrate and synchronize one or more of their agronomic apps with asupplier's inventory apps to enable the producer and supplier tocoordinate their planning activities and also, to negotiate set pricingfor the supply of selected products and services.

Adding to the increasing complexity of managing an agriculturalenterprise is the emerging trend of globalization of the commoditymarkets available for the agricultural producer to sell their harvestedproducts into, and the rapid ripple effects that occur in the commoditymarkets in response to significant political or weather events and theimmediate impacts on real or perceived supply/demand imbalances.Consequently, in addition to using multiple web-based apps to monitorand manage their crop production activities and inputs supplies, manyagricultural producers are also using on a regular basis web-based appsfor monitoring agricultural commodities markets and futures trading astools to assist their agricultural production planning and fordeveloping their commodity divesture strategies.

The net consequence of the deluge of web-based apps for inputting andmonitoring data associated with agriculture production and commoditiesmarkets is that agricultural producers are becoming overwhelmed by theinformation available to them and by the information directly relatingto their farming operations that they need to monitor and track.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure generally relates to a computer-implementedweb-based system and related methods for management of a producer'sagricultural enterprise. The system disclosed herein generally comprisesa plurality of modular components for receiving and processing datapertaining to agricultural production of commodities by the producer andfor centralizing and storing the received and/or processed data in asingle cloud-based data management platform that is interactive withmultiple cloud-based databases.

According to one embodiment, an example of a single cloud-based datamanagement platform comprises: (i) a SaaS platform for hosting aplurality of business software applications for solely for the accessand use by a single agricultural producer, and (ii) a PaaS platform forenabling the producer to provide limited and restricted access to someof their databases hosted on their SaaS platform, to selected suppliersand service providers so that the suppliers and service providers canmonitor on farm inventories and equipment/facilities records for thepurpose of producing for the producer's review and decisions proposalsand quotes for the delivery of products and services.

The producer can authorize restricted and authenticated access to theircloud-based agricultural enterprise data management platform, to one ormore service providers so that together, they can effectively andcost-efficiently plan and manage the delivery of products and servicesduring a crop production cycle, and the sale and delivery ofagricultural commodities produced during the crop production cycle.Separate modular components may be provided for inputs exemplified byagronomy data, crop production inputs data, crop growth and performancetracking, commodity market data, weather monitoring and forecasting,farm equipment maintenance scheduling and tracking, enterprisemanagement components, among others.

The agricultural enterprise methods disclosed herein generally comprisea multiplex of computer-executable programs for aggregating, processing,summarizing, reporting, and storing: (i) the crop performance and yielddata inputs received and generated during each crop production cycle,and (ii) data received and generated pertaining to crop inputs andservices provided by selected third-party suppliers and serviceproviders. Additionally, the agricultural enterprise management methodhas a dedicated computer-executable program that authenticates andprovides access to selected third-party suppliers and/or serviceproviders under a gateway-controlled user restriction protocol, toenable each supplier or service provider to access one or more modulesfor the purpose of preparation of proposals and quotes for theirproducts or services for a crop production cycle, for consideration andacceptance or rejection by the agricultural producer. If theagricultural producer accepts a service provider's proposal and quote, acomputer-executable program component of the agricultural enterprisemanagement method will generate a work order that will be deliverelectronically to the successful third-party supplier or serviceprovider. For example, a work order generated by the agriculturalenterprise methods disclosed herein may comprise a single step oralternatively, a series of multiple steps. If a work order has multiplesteps, there may also be generated an automated notification in advanceof the time for which execution of the step is scheduled. There may alsobe generated a workflow tracking program to enable real-time monitoringof delivery of the work order steps as they are in progress, andoptionally, a a tracking program for post-delivery analysis and summaryof the delivery of each step in the work order.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the presentagricultural enterprise system and methods disclosed herein provide ascreen display in the form of a dashboard wherein each of the datamodules is displayed as an icon or alternatively a tab or alternativelya pictogram. According to one aspect, a high-level current status reportfrom a selected data module may be called up by clicking on thepictogram associated with the data module. The current status report maybe presented in the form of data associated with a time line, a barchart, a pie chart, a bullet graph, a sparkline, and the like. Accordingto one aspect, an agricultural producer's agricultural enterprise systemis accessible by the producer and by their selected, authorized andauthenticated third-party suppliers and producers, as a display on theirnetworked mobile wireless telecommunication computing devices such asexemplified by smartphones, tablets, portable laptop computers, oralternatively, with a desktop computer.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, theagricultural producer is able to call up a high level current statusreport for data in a selected module by clicking on the relatedpictogram. The producer can then drill down through the raw data, theprocessed data, the summarized data, the projected data stored in themodule by repeatedly clicking on the module's pictogram. Alternatively,the producer may navigate through various levels of granularity (e.g.,farm, crop type, field, soil zones, among others) by using a combinationof a navigation menu and on-page controls such as tabs, pitograms, andthe like. The agricultural enterprise methods disclosed herein mayadditionally comprise computer-implemented software for performance ofpush analytics to provide high-level graphic displays of currentprojections pertaining to crop yields, production costs, returns oninvestment, related to current crop growth performance and costsincurred data inputs and commodity markets current prices and commodityfutures prices. The agricultural enterprise methods disclosed herein mayadditionally comprise computer-implemented software for performance ofSWOT analyses (strength, weakness, opportunities, threats) pertaining toscheduling of product applications such as seeding, spraying, and thelike, harvestability scheduling, potential crop yields, and commoditysale pricing that are based on current crop growth performance,production costs-incurred data inputs, commodity markets current prices,and commodity futures prices. The agricultural enterprise methodsdisclosed herein may additionally comprise computer-implemented softwarefor providing screen alerts for the producer one day, two days, threedays, four days, five days, six days, seven days, two weeks, threeweeks, four weeks in advance of: (i) a crop management or a cropproduction event requiring an action by the producer, or (ii) ascheduled delivery of a product(s) and/or a service(s) by a third-partyservice supplier or provider. The screen alerts may be accompanied by aconcurrent audio alert and/or an email notification and/or a pushnotification to a portable device.

According to another aspect, selected, authorized and authenticatedthird-party suppliers and service providers are able to access one ormore of a producer's modules to which they have received restrictedaccess for, by clicking on the related pictogram for a selected moduleto receive a high-level current status view of the products and/orservices they have been contracted to provide to the agriculturalproducer for the current crop production cycle. A third-party supplieror service provider may be able to access more detailed current and/orhistorical data pertaining to their past deliveries and scheduled futuredeliveries. The agricultural enterprise methods disclosed herein mayadditionally comprise computer-implemented software for providing screenalerts for the third-party supplier or service provider one day, twodays, three days, four days, five days, six days, seven days, two weeks,three weeks, four weeks, in advance of a scheduled delivery of aproduct(s) and/or a service(s). The screen alerts may be accompanied bya concurrent audio alert and/or an email notification and/or a pushnotification to a portable device.

Another embodiment of the present agricultural enterprise methodsdisclosed herein is the incorporation at least two separate sets ofmodelling algorithms that integrate and then correlate and further modelthe mathematical processing of each of the current and historical datasets for each of the modules comprising the agricultural enterprisesystem, to enable delivery to the agricultural producer's dashboarddisplay enable realtime high-level push analytics updates on the currentcrop production status relative to global weather patterns, globalcommodity market fluctuations based on current supply and demand data,coupled with risk identification and analysis.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will be described in conjunction with referenceto the following drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of one embodiment of a methoddisclosed herein for capturing, processing, managing and outputting datarelating to an agricultural enterprise, and for controlling access anduse of the output data by third-party service providers;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of another embodiment of a methoddisclosed herein for capturing, processing, managing and outputting datarelating to an agricultural enterprise, and for controlling access anduse of the output data by third-party service providers;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of an exemplary AgronomicCalculator method disclosed herein, used for creation of an agronomicprescription for application of a straight fertilizer product to aselected crop on a selected field;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of an exemplary AgronomicCalculator method disclosed herein, used for creation of an agronomicprescription for application of a blended fertilizer product to aselected crop on a selected field, based on a guaranteed nutrientanalysis;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic illustration of an exemplary AgronomicCalculator method disclosed herein, used for creation of a new agronomicprescription by modifying an existing agronomic prescription; and

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic illustration of an exemplary Scouting Taskmodule according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate tocomputer-implemented methods and a related system for agriculturalenterprise management by an agricultural producer wherein all of annualdata collected and/or generated, on a year-to-year basis, that pertainto the producer's: (i) farmlands' physicochemical and topographicalcharacteristics, (ii) pre-sowing crop production planning and cropselection processes, (iii) actual crops produced on each of theindividual fields comprising the farmlands, (iv) crop production inputsused to optimize a selected crop's growth, development, and productivityon each of the individual fields, (v) agronomy services engaged prior toand during the crop production cycle, (vi) crop yields harvested fromeach of the individual fields, (vii) sales and revenue-generated datafor harvested crops, (viii) overhead expenditures incurred to produceeach crop on each field and for managing the entire farmlands operationduring a production cycle, (ix) financing of costs related toacquisition of the individual fields, acquisition of capital equipment,crop production costs, costs related to storage of harvested crops,delivery of harvested crops to purchasors, inventory records, and salesrecords relating to the harvested crops, (x) enterprise-relatedinsurance costs, (xi) enterprise management overhead costs, (xii)production cost analyses and return-on-investment data, (xiii) lists ofservice providers, (xiv) weather data, (xv) commodity market performancerelating to the grower's crops during the crop production cycle plus onecycle or two cycles or three cycles of monthly or annual commoditymarket performance specifically pertaining to the selected crops, areconsolidated and centralized into a single database.

All of the data collected and/or processed and/or generated and/orsummarized and/or reported during an annual crop production cycle foreach of the afore-mentioned categories are referred to herein as anannual data set, while each of the individual data sets collected and/orprocessed and/or generated and/or summarized and/or reported for each ofthe afore-mentioned categories are referred to herein as a data subset.Previously collected and/or generated annualized historical data for aproducer's agricultural enterprise can be inputted or imported into theagricultural enterprise management system disclosed herein for use incorrelating and assessing costs, performance efficiencies, revenues, andreturns-on-investment for each of the afore-mentioned categories, overselected periods of multiple crop production cycles.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the consolidatedannual data and data subsets collected, generated, summarized, reportedwith the agricultural enterprise management computer-aided methods andstored in a database component of the related system disclosed herein,are accessible and easily searched or manipulated by the agriculturalproducer or a service provider using a networked mobile wirelesstelecommunication computing device exemplified by smartphones, tablets,portable laptop computers, or alternatively, a desktop computer. Theannual data and data subsets input into the system or which arealternatively generated by the computer-implemented methods, areprovided as a “dashboard display” on the producer's networked computingdevice wherein each of the afore-mentioned categories is displayed as anindividual pictogram. Pictograms are commonly referred as computericons. The agricultural enterprise management methods and systemdisclosed herein enable an agricultural producer to consolidate theinputting, processing, analyzing, summarizing and reporting all of theannual agronomic data, data pertaining to purchase and application ofcrop inputs products and services, crop production and yield data,commodity market performance relating to the grower's crops, cropinventory and sales data, and other key crop production data in a singleapplication, to assist the grower in their annual crop planning, theirmanagement of the crop production activities, and sales of theirharvested crops.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, theagricultural producer may make available to selected third-party serviceproviders and inputs providers on a restricted individual case-by-casebasis using a gateway-controlled restriction protocol, access to one orof the data modules described herein. An authorized third-party serviceprovider would have “read-only” access are alternatively, a mix ofread-only access and read/write access to the crop production planningdata module and additionally, to the historical data and data subsets inmodules authorized by the producer, that directly relate to the servicesand/or products that they provide or alternatively wish to provide tothe agricultural producer during the producer's crop production planningactivities, managing their current crop production, storage, marketingand delivery of their harvested crops and/or other agriculturalproducts. The authorized third-party service provider would then be ableto provide the producer with a selection of options for the products andservices that could be provided for the up-coming crop production seasonor cycle. If the producer chooses to proceed with one of the optionsproposed by the authorized third-party service provider, the methods andsystem disclosed herein will generate and save a related work order inthe module and forward a copy of the work order to the authorizedthird-party service provider. A work order could list for example (i) adescription of the product and/or service to be delivered, (ii) a dateor alternatively, a list of dates for delivery of the product and/orservice, (iii) pricing for the delivered product and/or service, (vi)online electronic payment options for selection and use by the producer,with payment verification, (v) completion confirmation section forconfirming that the delivered product and/or service and the date(s) ofdelivery, (vi) comments section for entries by the producer and/or theauthorized third-party service provider pertaining to the product and/orservice and their delivery. A work order may optionally include aselection of predefined steps for inclusion of the delivery of services,and the formation of automated workflow patterns whereby a customizableworkflow map may be created around the steps a service provider selectsfor inclusion for a selected producer.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art to which the invention belongs. Certain terms are discussed inthe specification to provide additional guidance to the practitioner indescribing the methods, uses and the like of embodiments of theinvention, and how to make or use them. It will be appreciated that thesame thing may be said in more than one way. Consequently, alternativelanguage and synonyms may be used for any one or more of the termsdiscussed herein. No significance is to be placed upon whether or not aterm is elaborated or discussed herein. Recital of one or a few synonymsor equivalents does not exclude use of other synonyms or equivalents,unless it is explicitly stated. Use of examples in the specification,including examples of terms, is for illustrative purposes only and doesnot limit the scope and meaning of the embodiments of the inventionherein. To facilitate understanding of the disclosure, the followingdefinitions are provided.

As used herein, the term “ag retailer” means any retail organizationthat supplies producers with: (i) products such as seed, nutrients,agrichemicals, crop protection products, feed, equipment and technology,and (ii) services such as seed, nutrients, crop protection products,feed, equipment and technology.

As used herein, the term “agrichemicals” means any of chemicalfertilizer products, hormones, growth agents, insecticides, herbicides,fungicides, nematicides, and the like.

As used herein, the term “agronomic prescription” means a mapping ofvariable rate fertilizer application to an individual field based onsoil testing results and the fertility requirements for a selected cropto be grown on the field. An agronomic prescription may additionallyinclude agronomic prescriptions for types and timing of pesticideapplications to be made during the crop production cycle.

As used herein, the term “Agronomy Calculator” means an embodiment ofthe present disclosure that pertains to a method and system fordetermining variable rate fertilizer requirements for fields comprisedof one or more management zones.

As used herein, the term “agronomy services” means services provided byan unrelated third-party service provider to the agricultural producer,pertaining to technical data and/or advice regarding an individual fieldand or the farmlands regarding the physicochemical condition of theindividual field(s), and/or to crop production options for each of theindividual fields and/or to crop development performance during a cropproduction cycle. Agronomy services may include one or more of and areexemplified by variable rate fertilizer prescription maps, seedprescription maps, fungicide prescription maps, production zonemanagement, benchmark soil sampling, in-season soil testing, fertilityplanning, nutrient management, manure management, multi-year croprotation planning, herbicide rotation planning, crop variety planningand selections, seeding rate calculations and recommendations, GPS fieldmapping, crop scouting, plant tissue analyses, seed analyses, plantingtiming, weed management, insect management, disease management,irrigation management, swath timing, harvest timing, record keeping,yield targets and estimates, cost-of-production analyses, risk andtolerance analyses, and the like.

As used herein, the term “capital investment” means money used topurchase a fixed asset such as land, fixed-in-place machinery and/orequipment, rolling machinery and/or equipment, buildings, and the like.

As used herein, the term “costs of sales” means all of the direct costsincurred by the agricultural producer to produce and harvest a crop froman individual field during a crop production cycle. Direct costs mayinclude the cost of seeds, starting plant material, juvenile livestock,juvenile poultry, crop production inputs exemplified by fertilityproducts, feed, pesticides, labor hired for sowing, application offertility and/or pesticide products, harvesting, fuel costs forequipment to work an individual field during a crop production cycle,agronomic service fees, and the like.

As used herein, the term “crop production” means all of the activitiesassociated with planning, planting, growing, harvesting, and all relatedmanagement activities for a crop selected for an individual field for agrowing cycle. For most grain crops, fruit crops, berry crops, cropproduction occurs once on an annual basis. For biomass crops such ashay, alfalfa and the like, crop production may occur twice or threetimes or four times on an annual basis. Depending on the types ofproducts delivered to market, dairy production, poultry production andthe like may occur on a daily basis, a weekly basis, a monthly basis, amulti-monthly basis, an annual basis. Depending on the types of productsdelivered to the market, livestock production may occur on a monthlybasis, a multi-monthly basis, an annual basis, or a multi-year basis.

As used herein, the term “dashboard display” means a single pageweb-based real-time user interface displaying on a mobile wirelesstelecommunication computing device and/or a desktop computer, a seriesof links or tabs or pictograms that are linked to the modular data inputcomponents described herein for showing graphical presentation of thecurrent and historical data and data subsets residing within the modulesthat may be filtered and/or navigated using a content search field basedon defined query string parameters. The user interface may be designedto display the data and data subsets in relation to geo-spatial mapsand/or as colorful summaries and/or graphics exemplified by bar charts,pie charts, bullet graphs, sparklines and the like.

As used herein, the term “driver” means a a selectable function specificto one of the selected nutrients, resulting in an automated calculationof fertilizer rates according to a predefined set of nutrientrequirement rates for the selected crop type.

As used herein, the term “enterprise-related insurance” includesproperty insurance, crop insurance for risks exemplified by weather,hail, drought, frost damage, insects, disease, and the like, equipmentinsurance for risks exemplified by damage and/or liabilities resultingfrom accidents, mechanical failures, credit insurance for risksassociated with sales of crops.

As used herein, the term “farmlands” means all of an agriculturalproducer's land used for crop production exemplified by grain productionand biomass production and/or livestock production and/or dairyproduction and/or poultry production and/or fruit production and/orberry production.

As used herein, the term “fertilizer rate” means a specified rate ofstraight fertilizer product(s) and/or blended fertilizer product(s) tobe applied to a specific management zone in the field.

As used herein, the term “straight fertilizer product” means anyproduct, natural or manufactured, designed to deliver a specific amountof one or more nutrients to a plant.

As used herein, the term “blended fertilizer product” means acombination of straight fertilizer products, conventionally representedby a guaranteed analysis

As used herein, the term “guaranteed analysis” means a ratio ofnutrients delivered through a blend of multiple fertilizer products.

As used herein, the term “individual field” means one discreet plot ofland with defined cultivated borders.

As used herein, the term “manual” means a selectable function specificto one of the nutrients, resulting in a manual entry or adjustment offertilizer rates.

As used herein, the term “nutrient requirements” means a set ofcalculated values of actual nutrient required to achieve a specificyield. Nutrient requirements as discussed herein are based on: (i)available soil testing data for a specific zone in a field as delineatedby a geospatial fertility map, or (ii) agronomic nutrient requirementsfor the crop being grown, or (iii) predefined yield goal for a selectedzone.

As used herein, the term “overhead costs” means all costs related to theongoing costs associated with operating and managing the agriculturalenterprise. Overhead costs may include land rental fees, debt servicefees, line-of-credit fees, electricity, heating, other utilities, fuel,building maintenance and repairs, equipment maintenance and repairs,insurance, taxes, financial services such as book-keeping fees,accounting fees, and the like, legal services, travel,telecommunications equipment and fees, and other types of miscellaneouscosts that are not directly attributable to the cost of producing aproduct during a crop production cycle.

As used herein, the term “PaaS” means a “platform as an enterpriseservice” a computing platform, typically including operating system,programming language execution environment, database, and web server foruse by service providers for integrating their software with theagricultural producer's SaaS platform without the cost and complexity tothe agricultural producer of having to buy and manage the suppliers'underlying hardware and software layers.

As used herein, the term “physicochemical characteristics” means thephysical properties and characteristics in combination with the chemicalcomposition of the top layers of soil within an individual field. Thetop layer of soil may may have a depth of up to one metre from the soilsurface.

As used herein, the term “products applied” means a listing of one ormore prescribed ag-chemical products (fertilizers and/or pesticides)that were applied at specified rates of application at selected times ona selected field in accordance with an agronomic prescription or a task.

As used herein, the term “SaaS” means a “software as an service”delivery model for a plurality of business software applicationsexemplified by office and messaging software, database management systemsoftware, business management software, accounting software,collaboration software, customer relationship management, managementinformation systems, enterprise resource planning, service deskmanagement software, invoicing software, human resource managementsoftware, payroll processing software, and the like.

As used herein, the term “satellite imagery” means visual imagesrecorded by devices carried in space by satellites above the earth'satmosphere, and includes high resolution near-infrared imagery,far-infrared imagery, multispectral imagery, hyperspectral imagery,panchromatic imagery, light detection and ranging (LIDAR) imagery,digital elevational model (DEM) imagery, and the like. It is to be notedthat the scope of the present disclosure encompasses high resolutionanal imagery captured by recording devices deployed within the earth'satmosphere, wherein the recording devices are carried by airplanes ordrones.

As used herein, the term “scouting” means the process of regularlymonitoring a selected field for the purpose of precisely detecting andassessing the occurrence of crop pests (i.e., diseases and insectinfestations), and for selection and recommendation of suitable pest anddisease control interventions. “Scouting” as used herein also includesthe process of regularly monitoring a selected field for the purposeassessing crop growth and development for estimation of potential cropyields, and for assessment if whether or not an agronomic prescriptionshould be prepared in order to improve crop growth and development.

As used herein, the term “Scouting Task Module” means a user interface(also referred to herein as “UI”) that tracks and reports on the statusof all tasks. The “Scouting Task Module” allows service providers (orproducers) to complete the following actions for one or more selectedtasks: (i) review scouting reports, (ii) create agronomic prescriptions,(iii) record related details including dates of applications,application rates, and weather conditions, and (iv) indicate taskcompletion and date of completion, and (v) deletion of active and ofcompleted tasks as appropriate.

As used herein, the term “service provider” means a third-party thatprovides services on a fee basis pertaining to one or more aspects ofthe agricultural enterprise. Non-limiting examples of service providersinclude ag retailers, agronomic services providers, crop sowingcontractors, fertilizer application service providers, pesticideapplication service providers, crop scouting service providers,harvesting service providers, crop hauling and delivery serviceproviders, equipment dealerships, equipment maintenance and repairservice providers, weather and weather forecasting services, financialservices, accounting services, insurance services, telecommunicationsand internet services, commodity brokering services, and the like.

As used herein, the term “service provider means any individual ororganization that is qualified to provide to agriculture producers,consultative services such as crop scouting, soil testing, fieldmapping, custom planting and application and development of nutrientmanagement and conservation plans, financial advice or services, or cropmarketing advice or trade execution services.

As used herein, the term “task” means a designated workflow pertainingto a specific selected field and which is initiated by one of: (i) thesubmission of a scouting report, (ii) the creation of an agronomicprescription for the selected field (without the prior submission of ascouting report), or (iii) a recording of “applied products” insituations wherein a scouting report is not available and an agronomicprescription for the selected field has not been created.

As used herein, the term “topographical” means the three-dimensionalvertical and horizontal profile of an individual field and can becharacterized by the changes in elevation and slope and orientation tothe earth's magnetic field (i.e., north, south, east, west compasspoints).

An example of an agricultural enterprise management system disclosedherein generally comprises a single cloud-based data management platformthat is interactive with multiple cloud-based databases, and isaccessible with a variety of mobile wireless telecommunication computingdevices exemplified by smartphones, tablets, portable laptop computers,smart watches, smart glasses, wearable devices, or alternatively, withdesktop computers. The agricultural enterprise management systemcomprises a plurality of modules for inputting crop planning productiondata inputs for processing and analysis by the methods disclosed hereinfor the purposes of aiding in selection of a crop for production on aselected individual field from the farmlands, for generating anagronomic prescription for the individual field, for generating one ormore related work orders for transmittal to one or more suppliers and/orservice providers, for monitoring crop growth and developmentperformance data during the crop production cycle, for performing SWOTanalyses and risk assessments prior to and during the crop productioncycle, for monitoring commodity market prices and use of such data forcalculating revenue projections and return-on-investment forecasting.

An agricultural enterprise management system according to the presentdisclosure may comprise data input modules pertaining to:

-   -   (i) agricultural production data collected on an individual        latitude and longitude within a field for multiple cropping        cycles including sowing, spraying, top dressing, irrigation, and        harvesting dates, crop types sown, yield target, yield data,        environmental data regarding temperatures, precipitation,        moisture, wind, and sunlight hours throughout each cropping        cycle;    -   (ii) multiple cropping cycle records pertaining to variable        zone-based agronomic prescriptions for optimized production of        selected crops in selected agricultural fields, based on        correlations of selected satellite imagery with soil sample        analyses, agronomic prescriptions, historical crop production        records, and historical weather data;    -   (iii) agrichemical input records and costs for each annual        cropping cycle wherein the agrichemicals are characterized by        crop, chemical type, chemical manufacturer or blender, soil        characteristics, major nutrients and minor nutrients;    -   (iv) an agronomic calculator comprising agronomic formulae for        processing of soil physicochemical data and/or satellite imagery        correlatable to the soil physicochemical properties of a        selected farmland field or fields;    -   (v) work order entry and tracking module for an authorized        service provider to generate a dedicated inventory of a product        and/or a service for delivery to the producer, tracking of the        delivery progress, and confirmation of delivery, and        alternatively, for generating an order for an agronomic service        or a technical service, delivery of the agronomic service or        technical service, and a report summarizing the service        delivered. Alternatively, the work order entry and tracking        module may be used by the producer to initiate a work order that        is then delivered to one or more selected producers;    -   (vi) inventory records and management for crops held on-farm,        and optionally, electronic sensors for monitoring inventories of        selected inputs and/or agricultural commodities produced and        held in on-farm storage;    -   (vii) historical data pertaining to commodity demands, volumes        delivered, and pricing;    -   (viii) real-time feeds of commodity market pricing on an hourly        and/or daily and/or monthly basis correlated with valuation of        the producer's market position and current outstanding contracts        for margin tracking;    -   (ix) crop sales and return-on-investment (ROI) data on a        cropping cycle basis;    -   (x) risk identification, assessment, and management modules        for (a) crop production, and (b) commodity markets (supply and        demand);    -   (xi) equipment inventory, maintenance and operations costs, and        performance efficiency tracking;    -   (xii) User authentications authorizing access to third-party        software, for the purpose of either automated or manually        initiated transfer of data.    -   (xiii) a plurality of predictive modelling algorithms for        performance of real-time “what if” analyses prior to and during        a crop production cycle to facilitate production management        decisions to respond to global weather events and/or economy        fluctuations;    -   (xiv) a plurality of algorithms for assimilating outputs from        the above components into dashboard summaries of “key        performance indicators” (KPIs) that provide high-level snapshots        of real-time crop production performance with “SWOT”        (strength-weakness-opportunity-threat) analyses during a crop        production cycle, to enable management decisions to modify crop        management activities in order to optimize production outputs        and revenues captured; and optionally    -   (xiv) a farm data and service marketplace module wherein the        sale, exchange, collection and connection of all farm data sets        are input into a single database or multiple inter-connected        databases wherein the individual data sets can be combined with        other relevant data sets exemplified by soil, annual weather,        and market information data sets that are directly related to        the producer's farmlands.

An embodiment of the present agricultural enterprise management system 1is shown in FIG. 1 and generally comprises a cloud-based database 15, aplurality of modules 20 for receiving certain specific types of datainputs wherein the data inputs are processed and summarized andconsolidated in an outputs module 32. The processed data may be furtheranalyzed by a number of computer-executable analytics programs 17 andthe results displayed on a screen format 12 accessible by theagricultural producer 10, in the form of a dashboard with multiplepictograms related to the individual modules 21, 22, 23, 24, 25comprising the plurality of modules 20. Access to the producer's 10cloud-based database 15 and the outputs module 32 is available to thirdparties 46, 60 selected by and authorized by the producer 10 via agateway-controlled restriction protocol and authentication portal 40.The producer 10 may make access available to some third parties 46 whomay be potential clients for the producer's products, to the producer'smarketplace module 44. The producer may make access available to theircloud-based database 15 and the outputs module 32 via agateway-controlled restriction protocol and authentication portal 40 tosome third parties 60 who may be suppliers of crop production inputs oralternatively service providers exemplified by GIS technicians 61,agronomists 62, retailers of agricultural input products 63, carbonaggregators 64, crop marketing representatives 65, financialinstitutions 66, accounting services 67, and the like. The agriculturalenterprise management system 1 additionally comprises acomputer-implemented component 56 for generating agronomic prescriptionsand related workorders that are transmitted electronically to selectedsuppliers and/or service providers, and which are accessible by theselected suppliers and/or service providers via the gateway-controlledrestriction protocol and authentication portal 40. Additionally, theagricultural enterprise management system 1 additionally comprises acomputer-implemented ecommerce component 42 for receiving payments fromthe producer's customers for the agricultural products they havepurchased, and for making payment to the producer's suppliers for cropproduction inputs ordered by and delivered to the producer, and to theproducers service providers for the services ordered by and delivered tothe producer.

The agricultural enterprise management system 1 shown in FIG. 1 can beexpanded by integration of additional data input modules, for examplegeospatial imagery 26 (FIG. 2) and/or by addition of more suppliers andservice providers such as insurance agencies 68, wholesale distributors69, manufacturing companies 70, food processors 71, and the like (FIG.2).

In summary, the agricultural enterprise management system and methodsdisclosed herein aggregates in a single computer-implemented system themany services used by an agricultural producer prior to and during acrop production cycle, and post-harvest marketing and delivery of theagricultural products to the producers' customers. The present systemand methods provide the capability for consolidating, processing,analyzing, assessing, and summarizing a producer's current productiondata with their historical production data. The producer's cropproduction data and their crop planning data can be made available toselected third-party suppliers and service providers via a gate-control,restricted and authorized basis to enable the suppliers and serviceproviders to assess the producer's needs for crop input products andcrop production services, and to provide cost/benefit analysis-basedsupply and/or service proposals for the producer's consideration. Thepresent agricultural enterprise management system and methods will thengenerate agronomic prescriptions and work orders to selected suppliersand service providers, and additionally generate alerts for the producerand the selected suppliers and service providers to ensure that theordered products and services are timely delivered.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure generally relates to amethod and system for determining variable rate fertilizer requirementsfor fields comprised of one or more management zones. The present methodand system for determining variable rate fertilizer requirementsdisclosed herein is referred to as an “Agronomy Calculator” module.According to one aspect, the Agronomy Calculator module uses availablesoil testing data, geospatial zone delineation (if available), andpredefined agronomic crop needs and yield goals to produce a first setof nutrient requirements as a starting point, to which fertilizer ratecalculations can be applied, as will be described in more detail below.According to another aspect, the Agronomy Calculator module may provideagronomists with a standardized workflow interface for automaticallycalculating and updating fertilizer rates wherein a mix of straight andblended fertilizer products are to be applied to the field using one ormore selected fertilizers as the driver of fertilizer rate calculationsfor all management zones in the field. According to another aspect, theAgronomy Calculator module allows for existing agronomic prescriptions,including any specified driver functions to be applied as a template forsubsequent fields, where fertilizer rates are automatically calculatedbased on the nutrient requirements of a selected field. According toanother aspect, the Agronomy Calculator module may be incorporated intoand cooperate therewith the present agricultural enterprise managementsystem according to the present disclosure. According to another aspect,the Agronomy Calculator module may be configured for use as astand-alone app for use with a producer's computers and mobile devices,third-party suppliers' computers and mobile devices, third-party serviceproviders' computers and mobile devices.

The Agronomy Calculator module generally relate to methods forefficiently creating agronomic prescriptions. Some of the features ofthe present Agronomy Calculator module include: (i) automation of thecalculation of fertilizer product requirements in relation to predefinednutrient requirements, (ii) automatic updating of nutrient requirementsbased on adjustments to the fertilizer rates and/or product inclusions,(iii) automation of the calculation of fertilizer rates for anycombination of straight and blended fertilizer products in relation to abaseline set of nutrient requirements, (iv) an ability to add-inmicronutrient fertilizers to the guaranteed analysis and/or agronomicprescription. Other features of the Agronomy Calculator module include areduction in data entry requirements pertaining to: (v) updates to cropyield goals, crop nutrient requirements or fertilizer rates for anexisting agronomic prescription or for an agronomic prescription indevelopment, (vi) a selected fertilizer product used as a driver offertilizer rate calculations thereby resulting in automated updating ofrelated fertilizer inputs and actual nutrient calculations, (vii) use ofa fertilizer product for manual calculation of fertilizer ratesresulting in automated updating of related fertilizer inputs selected asdrivers and updating of all actual nutrient calculations, and/or (viii)an agronomic prescription is required for subsequent fields and apreviously created agronomic prescription is to be used. Other featuresof the present Agronomy Calculator module include: (ix) sequentialworkflow controls for the calculation of fertilizer rates where acombination of fertilizer products are being used, (x) sequentialworkflow processes that are easier for users to understand and repeat,and (ix) sequential workflow processes that allow flexibility for a userto navigate to previous steps within the processes in order to makeadjustments, while retaining any input sources that were previouslydefined by the user whereby the calculated fertilizer rates and nutrientrequirements are updated as changes are made. The present AgronomyCalculator module has the flexibility to specify a guaranteed analysis(i.e. nutrient ratio made available through a combination of fertilizerproducts) wherein a single nutrient source may be selected as the“driver” for the overall calculation of fertilizer rates for one or moremanagement zones, according to the specified guaranteed analysis inrelation to the starting nutrient requirements for a selected crop. Thepresent Agronomy Calculator module has the flexibility to add a secondguaranteed analysis wherein a second nutrient source may be selected asthe “driver” for the overall calculation of fertilizer rates accordingto the specified guaranteed analysis, in relation to the originalnutrient requirements and in consideration of the first guaranteedanalysis. The present Agronomy Calculator module has the flexibility toadd one or more straight fertilizer products, wherein a specifiedfertilizer product may be selected as the “driver” for the overallcalculation of fertilizer rates according to the fertilizer productcomposition, in relation to the original nutrient requirements and inconsideration of the first guaranteed analysis. The present AgronomyCalculator module has the flexibility to modify auto-calculatedfertilizer rates by switching to a manual function wherein a singlenutrient source was previously selected as the “driver” of the overallcalculation of fertilizer rates. Furthermore, the present AgronomyCalculator module has the ability to save a particular configuration ofproducts and drivers so that it may be applied to agronomicprescriptions for other fields.

It is to be noted that the exemplary Agronomy Calculator moduledisclosed herein may form an integral component of the agriculturalenterprise management system and methods disclosed herein and may beaccessed, for example, by way of a pictogram 23 on a module 20accessible by an agronomist service provider (FIGS. 1, 2). However, itis within the scope of the present disclosure for the present AgronomyCalculator module disclosed herein to be configured as a stand-alone appfor creation and development of agronomic prescriptions by an agronomistfor their clients without having to access and/or use anotheragricultural enterprise management system and methods.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure generally relates to amethod and system for managing crop health with a data managementplatform supporting automated processes and workflows for fieldscouting, for development of agronomic prescriptions, and for thescheduling and delivery of various types of product applications. Thismethod and system is referred herein as a “Scouting Task Module”.

Producers, agronomists and other service providers, and ag retailersrequire an effective means of managing the complete cycle of scoutingfields, creating and receiving agronomic prescriptions, and confirmingproducts applied (for various reasons, including: inventory management,compliance reporting, agronomic management). Current problems for theproducer with scouting services available to them is that the use ofnon-standardized scouting methods, analysis, and reporting makes itdifficult them to clearly detect, understand, and take steps to addressthe occurrence of a crop production anomaly in order to ensure thatoptimal crop yields are achievable. The use of digital technologies isbecoming increasingly prevalent during scouting activities to improvethe efficiency of early detection of the occurrences of diseases andinsect pests. However, adequate user management frameworks and automatedworkflow processes are not available for integration into cropproduction management systems and methods.

According to one aspect, the Scouting Task module provides the abilityfor a user to prepare a single agronomic prescription for multiplefields requiring the same treatment for example an application of afertilizer product and/or a pesticide and the like, which then resultsin the updating of multiple workflows associated with the field and thetask. This feature provides a significant reduction of the time requiredof an agronomist in the preparation of agronomic prescriptions.

According to one aspect, the Scouting Task module comprises a softwareapplication (i.e., a series of process steps) for entry of scoutingobservations made for a selected field at a specified time period, andconcurrently enables viable interactions with one or more prescriptionsprepared for the selected field, and further concurrently enables thereal-time recording of product applications to and within the selectedfield.

According to another aspect, the Scouting Task module may beincorporated into the present agricultural enterprise management systemas exemplified in FIGS. 1 and 2 for restricted access by users withpermissions, for example, producers, service providers such asagronomists and crop scouts, and ag retailers, to: (i) monitor thestatus of existing workflows for one or more selected fields, whereinthe workflows relate to scouting reports, agronomic prescriptions,fertilizer products applied, pesticide products applied and the like,(ii) prepare agronomic prescriptions for one or more selected fieldsindependent of or alternatively, based on existing scouting reports,(iii) input records of fertilizer products and pesticides appliedindependent of or alternatively, based on existing agronomicprescriptions, and (iv) input completion of task workflows.

According to another aspect, the Scouting Task module enables a user tocommence or terminate a workflow for a selected field to begin at anypoint in the above-mentioned stages (i)-(iv), and for the workflow to betracked as a unique task for a selected field.

According to another aspect, the Scouting Task module additionallycomprises a standard process, referred to herein as a “prescriptioncalculator” to enable a user to specify multiple agrichemicals andapplication rates for each of the agrichemicals for a selected field orgroup of fields in the form of a single agronomic prescription, whichthereby allows calculation of total product requirements for each of thespecified agrichemicals.

According to another aspect, the Scouting Task module can be usedremotely by the producer or a service provider on a mobile device forexample a smart phone, a tablet, a laptop computer, and the like, foron-site or off-site recording of scouting observations for a selectedfield that can then be uploaded to the present agricultural enterprisemanagement system as exemplified in FIGS. 1 and 2 for access by userswith requisite permissions. The scouting observations input in theScouting Task module may be used for preparation of a task report withinthe Scouting Task module that can also be uploaded to the presentagricultural enterprise management system for access by users withrequisite permissions. The Scouting Task module may additionallycomprise a notification function to alert other selected users withrequisite permissions to the agricultural enterprise management system,that a new scouting task report has been uploaded, and optionally, tosend an electronic copy of the scouting task report to one or moreselected users.

A producer will be able to use the Scouting Task module in a singleintegrated system to manage the complete cycle of scouting of all of theselected fields, to create agronomic prescriptions for each of theselected fields based on the scouting task reports, and to confirm thatall of the agrichemical products and agronomic services specified in theagronomic prescriptions are delivered in a timely fashion as scheduled.The producer may use the Scouting Task module to assign selectedoperators, field scouts, other service providers, and ag retailers tospecific selected tasks specified in an agronomic prescription for aselected field or fields. Furthermore, a producer may use the ScoutingTask module to monitor and confirm that the specified tasks in anagronomic prescription are delivered and/or performed on schedule and asspecified. The producer may also use the Scouting Task module to preparehistorical detailed and summary reports for each crop production cyclewhereby such reports are available for review, reference, and comparisonin future crop cycles.

A service provider may use the Scouting Task module for efficientcollection and recording field scouting information for the purposes ofpreparing and forwarding scouting reports to the producer (for example,by uploading scouting task reports to the present agriculturalenterprise management system and/or by sending an electronic copy to theproducer and other users with the requisite permissions). Likewise, theservice provider may also prepare and forward an agronomic prescriptionfor treatment of any identified crop production anomaly of crop healthissues to the producer and other users with the requisite permissions. Aservice provider may also monitor and edit the scouting task reports forthe purposes of quality control/assurance and/or data accuracy, prior toor after uploading the scouting task reports to the present agriculturalenterprise management system. A service provider may also use theScouting Task module to notify the producer and other users withrequisite permissions of prescribed products, the total volumes ofprescribed products, and schedules for their applications based on thenew scouting task reports to address crop production or health issuesidentified during a field scouting event.

Ag retailers and other product suppliers with the requisite userpermissions optionally use the Scouting Task module for productinventory control and supply management to ensure sufficient stock is onhand and delivered for application as prescribed on a timely basis.

According to another embodiment, the agricultural enterprise managementsystem can communicate with the producer, third-party suppliers,third-party service providers, pieces of equipment or the database byany suitable wireless communication technique. For example, the systemcan communicate through cellular communication technology or satellitecommunication technology. It is to be understood that the various piecesof equipment used the producer's agricultural enterprise may incorporatethe appropriate hardware, e.g., transmitters, receivers, amplifiers,etc., and/or software to enable effective communication for the wirelesstechnology implemented in the piece of equipment.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the producer'scomputers and mobile devices, third-party suppliers' computers andmobile devices, third-party service providers' computers and mobiledevices, and computers associated with the producer's various pieces ofequipment can include the appropriate user interfaces, monitors,displays or other associated equipment or software to enable a produceror their suppliers or their service providers to interact with theagricultural enterprise management software, database, and system.

Embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure includecomputer-implemented program products having machine-readable media forcarrying or having machine-executable instructions or data structuresstored thereon. Machine-readable media can be any availablenon-transitory media that can be accessed by a general purpose orspecial purpose computer or other machine with a processor. By way ofexample, machine-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM,CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or othermagnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to carryor store desired program code in the form of machine-executableinstructions or data structures and which can be accessed by a generalpurpose or special purpose computer or other machine with a processor.When information is transferred or provided over a network or anothercommunication connection (either hardwired, wireless, or a combinationof hardwired or wireless) to a machine, the machine properly views theconnection as a machine-readable medium. Combinations of the above arealso included within the scope of machine-readable media.Machine-executable instructions comprise, for example, instructions anddata which cause a general purpose computer, special purpose computer,or special purpose processing machines to perform a certain function orgroup of functions.

It is important to note that the construction and arrangement of thepresent disclosure as shown in the various embodiments, is illustrativeonly. Certain features and embodiments have been shown and described inthe present disclosure and many modifications and changes may occur tothose skilled in the art, values of parameters, mounting arrangements,use of materials, orientations, etc.) without materially departing fromthe novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter recited in theclaims. For example, elements shown as integrally formed may beconstructed of multiple parts or elements, the position of elements maybe reversed or otherwise varied, and the nature or number of discreteelements or positions may be altered or varied. The order or sequence ofany process or method steps may be varied or re-sequenced according toalternative embodiments. Furthermore, in an effort to provide a concisedescription of the embodiments, all features of an actual implementationmay not have been described (i.e., those unrelated to the presentlycontemplated best mode of carrying out the invention, or those unrelatedto enabling the claimed invention). It should be appreciated that in thedevelopment of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering ordesign project, numerous implementation specific decisions may be made.Such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but wouldnevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, andmanufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of thisdisclosure, without undue experimentation.

EXAMPLES Example 1. Selection of a Crop for Production During the NextGrowing Season

Crop production planning typically commences during the winterapproximately three to four months to spring sowing activities.Exemplary interactive steps that a producer may undertake with theagricultural enterprise management system disclosed here include firstpreparing a historical report summarizing crop production on a selectedfield. The historical report may span 5 yrs, 8 yrs, 10 yrs, 12 yrs, 15yrs, 20 yrs and selected periods therebetween. The historical report mayinclude some or all of the following parameters:

-   -   type of crop including variety and seed treatment (if any);    -   total crop yield goals and actualizations on an annual basis;    -   cost of production, optionally broken out by cost of seed, cost        of fertility inputs, cost of pesticide inputs, agronomic        consulting and scouting costs, cost of fuel, labor costs for        seeding, inputs applications, harvest, and the like;    -   overhead management costs and capital depreciation;    -   revenues generated from sales of each of the harvested crops        and/or execution of financial positions on an annual basis; and    -   net profits generated from each of the crops on an annual basis.        The historical report may optionally include market price data        for other crop types that were not grown crops to enable “what        if” analyses determine if an alternative crop had been produced        and sold instead of the actual crop that was produced for one or        more selected years in the historical report.

The present agricultural enterprise management system enables a producerto parse the historical data records that were input into his databasemodules during each crop production cycle for (i) agriculturalproduction data; (ii) variable zone-based agronomic prescriptions; (iii)agrichemical input records and costs for each annual cropping cycle;(vii) data pertaining to commodity demands, volumes delivered, andpricing; (ix) crop sales and ROI data; using (xiii) the plurality ofalgorithms for assimilating outputs from the above components intodashboard summaries of “key performance indicators” (KPIs); and (xiv)the farm data and service marketplace module wherein the sale, exchange,collection and connection of all farm data sets were input into, toproduce the historical report. The historical data may be correlatedwith real-time feeds of world supply and commodity market pricing toassess the “next year” potential harvested value of each crop option.The producer would then be able to use (vii) a plurality of predictivemodelling algorithms for performance of real-time “what if” analysesfacilitate production management decisions to respond to global weatherevents and/or economy fluctuations, or rank the ROI potential for eachcrop option being considered to enable a final decision on selection ofa crop for production. After a crop has been selected for production,participating service providers directly involved with related workorders can be alerted on a scheduled basis to confirm delivery ofselected products and services.

Example 2. Estimation and Sourcing of Fertility Inputs for Production ofa Selected Crop

After a crop has been selected for production on a selected field, by aproducer generally using the agricultural enterprise management systemas outlined in Example 1, the agricultural enterprise management systemenables a producer to use the (ii) module for variable zone-basedagronomic prescriptions with the (iv) agronomic calculator module forprocessing of soil physicochemical data and/or satellite imagery todetermine the types and amounts of fertility inputs that are requiredfor optimal production of the selected crop. The producer may choose tosource time-selected satellite imagery from a source that previouslysupplied such satellite images. Alternatively, the producer may chooseto submit a tender to two or more providers of satellite imagery for thepurposes of improving the quality of images delivered for use invariable zone-based agronomic prescriptions module (ii) and agronomiccalculator module (iv) and/or to reduce the cost of the imagery. Theproducer may also choose to source soil sampling and physicochemicalanalyses from a previous supplier of such services or alternatively,submit a tender to two or more providers of soil testing services. Itshould be noted that the agricultural enterprise management system maybe configured for the producer to give authorization to a selectedprovider of satellite imagery and/or a selected provider of soil testingand analyses services, to directly upload or transfer their data intothe producer's databases.

After the satellite imagery and soil test results have been deliveredand input into the variable zone-based agronomic prescriptions module(ii) and agronomic calculator module (iv), the agronomic calculator (iv)is used to process and correlate the soil physicochemical data andsatellite imagery to determine the types and quantities of soilfertility inputs required to produce the selected crop on the selectedfield and input this data into the agrichemical input records module(iii). This process is repeated for each of the producer's fields todetermine the total volumes of fertility inputs required for theupcoming production season. Also included is the creation of anequipment data file on a field-by-field basis, which may be supplied tothe producer via electronic transfer to the producer's equipmentsoftware and otherwise be made available for download using the systeminterface.

The producer can then request quotes from one or more suppliers of thefertility input products. If the producer wishes, they can provideauthorization to the one or more suppliers to limited access to theagrichemical input records module (iii). The one or more suppliers mayinput their quotes into the agrichemical input records module (iii).After the producer selects the supplier for the fertility inputs, thework order entry and tracking module (v) will then generate a work orderitemizing the volumes and delivery dates for the individual fertilityproducts ordered, and then will electronically deliver the work order tothe supplier. The work order entry and tracking module (v) will thenprovide to the supplier reminders of delivery dates and confirmations ofdeliveries made, and based on electronic inputs and entries made duringproduct delivery, and then during subsequent product withdrawal fromstorage and distribution onto the field, will monitor productinventories and generate inventory usage and storage reports.Alternatively, the supplier may integrate the fertility requirementsdata and other relevant datasets such has field and crop production datawith their CRM programs (customer-relationship management).

Example 3. Use of the Agronomic Calculator to Create an AgronomicPrescription that Uses One Straight Fertilizer Product

An agronomist may use an example of the Agronomic Calculator 100 tocreate an agronomic prescription for application of a straightfertilizer product to a selected crop on a selected field by generallyfollowing a process illustrated in FIG. 3. First, the agronomist uses aninterface control of the Agronomy Calculator to create a new agronomicprescription. Then, the agronomist may review for a producer's fieldlocation, the information input by the producer pertaining to thestarting fertility information 105 for the field and the geospatialzones therein, the selected crop type and related nutritional needs 107,and any edits to the crop needs 106 input by the producer. Theagronomist then would enter the “select production input source” 108 andwould select the “B. Straight Products” 110 option (other optionsavailable for selection at this step include “A. Guaranteed Analysis”109 and “C. Existing Recipe” 111). For each nutrient, the agronomist canselect a straight fertilizer product from a menu of available straightfertilizer product choices. In this example, the agronomist chooses thestraight fertilizer product “11-52-0” from the products menu for thenutrient phosphorus (P). From the P “Function” menu, the agronomistwould then select “Driver” 113, as it is desirable that the P component(52, in the case of 11-52-0) of the selected fertilizer product drivesthe overall fertilizer rates (in accordance with the startingrequirements). The fertilizer rates are then automatically updated 114,based on the definitions supplied by producer in the previous step(i.e., selection of the crop type, yield goal, crop needs, and fieldlocation). At the same time, the nutrient requirements associated withthe crop needs are automatically updated 114. If the agronomist issatisfied with the agronomic prescription generated by the calculations114 (i.e., the fertilizer rates calculated to satisfy the calculatednutrient requirements), they would proceed by selecting “Save” 116 tosave the agronomic prescription. However, if the agronomist was notsatisfied with the agronomic prescription generated by the AgronomicCalculator, they would proceed by manually adjusting the fertilizerrates 118, after which, the Agronomic Calculator would recalculate thefertilizer rates and nutrient requirements 119, and then the agronomistwould click “Save” 116 to save the agronomic prescription. On the otherhand, if the agronomist wishes to manually specify the rate of aselected straight fertilizer product, at the P “Function” driver step116, they would select “Nutrient Manual” 117, then manually adjust thefertilizer rates 118, after which, the Agronomic Calculator wouldrecalculate the fertilizer rates and nutrient requirements 119, and thenthe agronomist would click “Save” 116 to save the agronomicprescription.

Example 4. Use of the Agronomic Calculator to Create an AgronomicPrescription that Uses One Guaranteed Analysis

An agronomist may use an example of the Agronomic Calculator 100 tocreate an agronomic prescription based on a guaranteed analysis fordelivery of a blended fertilizer product to a selected crop on aselected field by generally following a process illustrated in FIG. 4.First, the agronomist uses an interface control of the AgronomyCalculator to create a new agronomic prescription. Then, the agronomistmay review for a producer's field location, the information input by theproducer pertaining to the starting fertility information 105 for thefield and the geospatial zones therein, the selected crop type andrelated nutritional needs 107, and any edits to the crop needs 106 inputby the producer. The agronomist then would enter the “select productioninput source” 108 and would select the “A. Guaranteed Analysis” 109option. For each nutrient (i.e., N, P, K), the agronomist would thenenter a blend ratio 120. It should be noted that blend ratios are basedon combinations of straight N fertilizer products and/or straight Pfertilizer products and/or straight K fertilizer products. Theagronomist may optionally select at this step to include in theguaranteed analysis 120, one or more micronutrients or alternatively ablend of micronutrients. In this example, the agronomist selects fromthe N “Function” menu in the nitrogen column “N”, “Driver” 113, as it isdesirable that the N component of the previously defined guaranteedanalysis drives calculation of the overall fertilizer rates 114 based onthe definitions supplied by producer in the previous step (i.e.,selection of the crop type, yield goal, crop needs, and field location).At the same time, the nutrient requirements associated with the cropneeds are automatically updated 114. If the agronomist is satisfied withthe agronomic prescription generated by the calculations 114 (i.e., thefertilizer rates calculated to satisfy the calculated nutrientrequirements), they would proceed by selecting “Save” 122 to save theagronomic prescription. However, if the agronomist is not satisfied withthe agronomic prescription generated by the Agronomic Calculator, theywould select “Nutrient Manual?” 117 and manually adjust the fertilizerrates 118, after which, the Agronomic Calculator would recalculate thefertilizer rates and nutrient requirements 119, after which, theagronomist would “Save” 122 the agronomic prescription.

The Agronomist has the option to add a second input source 123 for theprescription being prepared by selecting “Add second input source” 121.For example, the second input source may be a “A. Guaranteed Analysis”124 option or a “B. Straight Products” 125 option. If the agronomistchooses the “A. Guaranteed Analysis” 124 option, they would then specifythe components and their ratios in the “Define Guaranteed Analysis”input 126, and then proceed by selecting from the N “Function” menu inthe nitrogen column “N”, “Driver” 128, as it is desirable that the Ncomponent of the previously defined guaranteed analysis drivescalculation of the overall fertilizer rates 129 based on the definitionssupplied by producer in their selection of the crop type, yield goal,crop needs, and field location at the start of the agronomicprescription development (items 105, 106, 107). If the agronomist issatisfied with the agronomic prescription generated by the calculations129 (i.e., the fertilizer rates calculated to satisfy the calculatednutrient requirements), they would proceed to “Save” 131 the agronomicprescription. However, if the agronomist was not satisfied with theagronomic prescription generated by the Agronomic Calculator, they wouldselect “Nutrient Manual?” query 130 and manually adjust the fertilizerrates 133, after which, the Agronomic Calculator would recalculate thefertilizer rates and nutrient requirements 134, after which, theagronomist would “Save” 131 the agronomic prescription.

Example 5. Use of the Agronomic Calculator to Create an AgronomicPrescription that Uses an Existing Nutrient Recipe

This example is based on the premise that the agronomist has previouslycreated at least one agronomic prescription for the producer, and hasselected for creation of a new agronomic prescription, a specified fieldin the producer's database for which have been previously entered (i) acrop plan that includes at least a crop type, the number of farmableacres, and the crop yield goal, and (ii) soil test results. In thisexample, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the first step is for the agronomistto use the interface control of the Agronomy Calculator 100 to create anew agronomic prescription. The agronomist then reviews the producer'spredefined crop type, crop needs, and the crop yield goal 107 for thefield and soil management zones therein, and updates as needed for thethe starting nutrient requirements 105 and crop needs 106 based on themost recent soil test results. The agronomist then would enter the“select production input source” 108 and select the “C. Existing Recipe”111 option, and then would choose an existing recipe 135.

The fertilizer rates are then automatically updated 136, based on thedefinitions supplied by producer in the previous step (i.e., 107) andthe agronomist (i.e., 105, 106, 108). At the same time, the nutrientrequirements associated with the crop needs are automatically updated136. If the agronomist is satisfied with the agronomic prescriptiongenerated by the calculations 136 (i.e., the fertilizer rates calculatedto satisfy the calculated nutrient requirements), they would proceed byselecting “Save” 140 to save the agronomic prescription. However, if theagronomist was not satisfied with the agronomic prescription generatedby the Agronomic Calculator at 136, they would select “Nutrient Manual?”query 137 and manually adjust the fertilizer rates 138, after which, theAgronomic Calculator would recalculate the fertilizer rates and nutrientrequirements 139, after which, the agronomist would click “Save” 140 tosave the agronomic prescription.

Example 6. Use of the Scouting Task Module by a Service Provider toRecord an in-Season Crop Performance Assessment Event in a SelectedField

This example is based on the premise that an agronomist under contractto a producer to perform in-season regularly scheduled scouting of acrop's growth and performance on a selected field, and to detect theoccurrence of any crop diseases or pests.

In reference to FIG. 6, the agronomist would have input theirobservations into the Scouting app installed on a hand-held electronicdevice 210 (e.g., a tablet) thereby generating a scouting report 212(shown as a new task in the Scouting Task module 200). The scoutingreport is uploaded into the Scouting Task module 200 component of thepresent agricultural enterprise management system (it is to beunderstood that the Scouting app is one of the productivity apps 23shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) and the dashboard of agricultural enterprisemanagement system will show that the scouting task has been completed214. In this example, crop growth and development were considered to benormal and on schedule with no evidence of disease or pests.Accordingly, the agronomist would have entered that a new agronomicprescription or alternatively, an agronomic prescription modificationwas not required 215, 216 after which, the Scouting Task module wouldprocess that the existing task (i.e., the scouting event) had beencompleted 217, 218 and would appear on the dashboard of agriculturalenterprise management system as a uniquely identified and verifiablecompleted task 219. It should be noted that it was optional for theagronomist, in this example, to email 213 a copy of their scoutingobservations directly to the producer and/or other users with requisitepermissions from the agronomist's hand-held device.

Example 7. Use of the Scouting Task Module by a Service Provider toCreate an Agronomic Prescription from an in-Season Crop PerformanceAssessment Event Recorded by a Producer in a Selected Field

This example is based on the premise that a producer performed anin-season scouting assessment of one of their fields and noted twoissues of concern in their crop. First, the overall growth anddevelopment of the crop across the entire field appeared to be laggingcompared to crops grown in adjacent fields. Second, the producerobserved an insect pest in several isolated locations within the filed.

The producer would have input their observations into the Scouting appinstalled on their hand-held electronic device 210 (e.g., a tablet)thereby generating a scouting report 212 that was uploaded into thepresent agricultural enterprise management system (shown as a new taskin the Scouting Task Module 200), and the dashboard of agriculturalenterprise management system will show that the scouting task has beencompleted 214. The producer would have elected to deliver an emailnotification 213 to their service provider (e.g., an agronomist) that ascouting report had been uploaded to the the present agriculturalenterprise management system. The agronomist would then review 215 thescouting report input 216 and based on the report contents, determine ifan agronomic prescription is required.

If it is determined that a agronomic prescription is required, theagronomist would first select the task(s) reviewed. The agronomist mayoptionally include additional fields in the prescription 221 byselecting from a menu of available fields, which will result in a newtask being created for each of the appended fields. Second, theagronomist would select products for inclusion in the agronomicprescription and specify (i) the increased rate of application for eachpesticide, and (ii) the rate of application for the pesticide 222. Basedon the acreage of all fields included in the agronomic prescription, thetotal product requirements are calculated for each product included inthe agronomic prescription 223. Upon saving the agronomic prescription224, the phase of existing tasks are updated 225, and new tasks arecreated for any fields that were appended to the agronomic prescription226, with both new and existing tasks being associated the new agronomicprescription 227.

The next step would be the actual pesticide application event 228, whichmay be recorded in the Scouting app installed on their hand-heldelectronic device by any user with the requisite permissions 235(notification of select recipients optional 213), resulting in theupdating of the task associated to the application event record.Alternatively, a scheduled pesticide application event may be recordedin the agricultural enterprise management system Scouting Task Module236 by selecting from eligible tasks (i.e. those tasks with anapplication event scheduled) 237. In this case, the prescribed products,rates, and fields included in the original agronomic prescription aredisplayed as default, allowing the producer to adjust fields, products,and rates according to actual application events 238, and then save theapplication record(s) 239, thereby updating all associated tasks 240(notification of select recipients optional 213). Alternatively, anapplication event may also be recorded in the Scouting app outside ofthe regular task workflow 247, resulting in a new task being created forthe associated field (notification of select recipients optional 213).In all cases, when a application event is recorded and Saved, thecorresponding task is updated to “Products Applied” in the Scouting TaskModule 241.

The next step involves the producer reviewing all tasks that have astatus of “Products Applied” in order to verify and confirm satisfactorycompletion 242. Tasks may be individually marked as complete in thecorresponding task report, or selected as a group in the Scouting Taskmodule and then marked “Complete” 243, resulting in the status of allselected tasks being updated to “Complete” 244 in the Scouting TasksModule. It should be noted that the producer may indicate completion ofone or more tasks, regardless of the current and possibly varying statusof selected tasks (e.g. following Scouting, Prescriptions, or ProductsApplied).

The invention claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method formanagement of an agricultural enterprise comprising the steps for: (a)collecting and inputting into one or more cloud-based databases andbeing processed by a first data processing module for each individualagricultural field selected from an agricultural producer's farmlands, aset of historical annual plurality of physicochemical data sets and aplurality of topographical data sets collected from a set ofpredetermined locations in each of selected individual agriculturalfields comprising the farmlands, and a set of current annual pluralityof physicochemical data sets and a plurality of topographical data setsfor each of said selected individual agricultural fields; (b) obtainingand inputting into one or more cloud-based databases and being processedby a second data processing module for each selected individualagricultural field, a set of current annual pre-sowing crop productionplanning data records and crop selection data records, and optionally, aset of historical annual pre-sowing crop production planning datarecords and crop selection data records; (c) obtaining and inputtinginto one or more cloud-based databases and being processed by a thirddata processing module for each selected individual agricultural field,a set of historical annual crop production data records, said productiondata records including identification of the crop produced, crop growthrate data, harvested crop biomass yield data and/or harvested crop seedyield data, chemical fertilizer input data, pesticide input data, growthmodulating product input data, and a set of current annual cropproduction data records; (d) obtaining and inputting into one or morecloud-based databases and being processed by a fourth data processingmodule for each selected individual agricultural field, a set ofhistorical annual data set of agronomy service providers and cost datarecords listing each agronomy service delivered prior to and during eachcrop production cycle, and a set of current annual data set of agronomyservice providers and cost data records; (e) obtaining and inputtinginto one or more cloud-based databases and being processed by a fifthdata processing module for each selected individual agricultural field,a set of historical annual data records listing harvested crop inventoryrecords, sales records, and revenue records, and a set of current annualdata records listing harvested crop inventory records, sales records,and revenue records; (f) obtaining and inputting into one or morecloud-based databases and being processed by a sixth data processingmodule, data records pertaining to overhead expenditures incurred duringone or more historical crop production cycle(s); (g) automaticallyperforming a computer-implemented analysis of the set of historicalannual data and the set of current annual data for each of the dataprocessing modules and producing therefrom one or more analysissummaries for each of said data processing modules; (h) automaticallycreating with a computer-implemented program an agronomic prescriptionfor each of two or more selected crops being considered for a next cropproduction cycle on a first selected field and generate therefrom,harvested crop yield projection, a crop production cost projection, anda return-on-investment revenue projection for each of the selected cropson the first selected field; (i) automatically performing acomputer-implemented analysis of the analysis summaries in reference toeach of the crop production prescriptions for the first selected field,wherein the analysis provides a comparison of the harvested crop yieldprojection and the crop production cost projection for each of the twoor more selected crops; (j) repeating (1) the creation of an agronomicprescription, a harvested crop yield projection and a crop productioncost projection for each of two or more selected crops being consideredfor a next crop production cycle on a second selected field, and (2) thecomputer-implemented analysis of the analysis summaries in reference toeach of the agronomic prescriptions for the second selected field; (k)from the inputted selections of a crop for the first selected field anda crop for a second selected field, generating with acomputer-implemented program a work order comprising one or more of asupply of seed, a supply of fertility products, a supply of pesticides,performance of agronomic services, performance of equipment maintenanceservices, and performance of overhead services; (l) electronicallytransmitting the work order over a network to one or more selectedsuppliers and/or one or more selected service providers pertaining toplanting and growing of said selected crops; (m) generating a series ofalerts associated with the work order to enable tracking of delivery ofthe ordered products and/or services; and (n) generating a series ofcurrent status reports for each of the data processing modules, saidcurrent status reports electronically accessible by the producer and byan authorized and authenticated supplier or a service provider.
 2. Thecomputer-implemented method according to claim 1, additionallycomprising obtaining from one or more third parties and inputting into aseventh data processing module, one or more of (1) a set of historicalannual data and a set of current annual data pertaining to satelliteimagery of one or more of the individual fields, (2) a set of historicalannual data and a set of current annual data pertaining to weather datarelating to the farmlands, (3) a set of historical annual data and a setof current annual data pertaining to industry financial data pertainingto seed prices, (4) a set of historical annual data and a set of currentannual data pertaining to fertility product prices, (5) a set ofhistorical annual data and a set of current annual data pertaining topesticide prices, (6) a set of historical annual data and a set ofcurrent annual data pertaining to production contracts, (7) a set ofhistorical annual data and a set of current annual data pertaining toagronomy services pricing, (8) a set of historical annual data and a setof current annual data pertaining to commodity prices and commodityfutures prices, (9) a set of historical annual data and a set of currentannual data pertaining to insurance pricing, and (10) a set ofhistorical annual data and a set of current annual data pertaining tolenders' interests rates, and then performing steps (g) to (m).
 3. Thecomputer-implemented method according to claim 1, additionallycomprising obtaining and inputting into an eighth data processingmodule, one or more of a set of historical annual financing of costsdata and a set of current annual financing of costs data pertaining to(1) acquisition of the individual fields, (2) acquisition of capitalequipment, (3) crop production, and (4) storage and delivery ofharvested crops, and then performing steps (g) to (m).
 4. Thecomputer-implemented method according to claim 1, additionallycomprising obtaining and inputting into a ninth data processing module,one or more of a set of historical annual data and a set of currentannual data pertaining to (1) crop insurance costs, (2) propertyinsurance costs, (3) equipment insurance costs, and (4) credit insurancecosts, and then performing steps (g) to (m).
 5. The computer-implementedmethod according to claim 1, additionally comprising obtaining andinputting into a tenth data processing module, one or more of a set ofhistorical annual data and a set of current annual data pertaining tooverhead costs associated with (1) land rental fees, (2) debt servicefees, (3) line-of-credit fees, (4) electricity costs, (5) heating costs,(6) municipal water costs, (7) fuel, (8) building maintenance and repaircosts, (9) equipment maintenance and repair costs, (10) book-keepingcosts, (11) accounting costs, (12) taxes, (13) legal service costs, (14)travel costs, and (15) telecommunications and internet equipment andfees, and then performing steps (g) to (m).
 6. The computer-implementedmethod according to claim 1, additionally comprising an agronomycalculator module comprising a workflow interface for a user to accessand modify an agronomic prescription created for a selected crop on aselected field by specifying a change in (1) a type of a fertilizerproduct input, and (2) rate of the fertilizer product input.
 7. Thecomputer-implemented method according to claim 6, wherein the type ofthe fertilizer product input is one of a straight fertilizer product, aguaranteed analysis, and an existing agronomic prescription.
 8. Thecomputer-implemented method according to claim 7, wherein the fertilizerproduct input additionally comprises one or more micronutrients.
 9. Thecomputer-implemented method according to claim 1, additionallycomprising a scouting task module for receiving and processing in-seasondata inputs from a user for generation therefrom of reports and alertspertaining to one or more of changes required to an agronomicprescription created for a selected crop on a selected field and arequirement for application agrichemical product application, whereinthe in-season data inputs include one or more of (1) a crop growth anddevelopment assessment, (2) a detection of a presence of a plant pest,and (3) a detection of a plant disease.
 10. The computer-implementedmethod according to claim 1, additionally comprising steps (o) and (p)inserted between steps (j) and (k) wherein: step (o) comprises producingfor the first selected field, an output listing the two or more selectedcrops, a harvested crop yield projection and the crop production costprojection for each of the two or more selected crops, and an inputsection for the producer to input a crop selection from the two or moreselected crops for the first selected field; and step (p) comprisesproducing for the second selected field, an output listing the two ormore selected crops, a harvested crop yield projection and the cropproduction cost projection for each of the two or more selected crops,and an input section for the producer to input a crop selection from thetwo or more selected crops for the second selected field.
 11. Thecomputer-implemented method according to claim 1, comprising anadditional first step (q) of making a first determination of whether aselected global weather event or a selected economic fluctuation willcause a reduction in one or more of a crop yield projection and a cropproduction cost projection for the first selected field, and if thefirst determination indicates that a reduction in the crop yieldprojection and/or the crop production cost projection will occur, modifythe agronomic prescription to decrease the crop yield projection and/orthe crop production cost projection for the first selected field; andadditionally comprising a second step (r) after the first additionalstep (q) of making a second determination whether a global weather eventor an economic fluctuation will cause a reduction in one or more of acrop yield projection and a crop production cost projection, and if thesecond determination indicates that a reduction in the crop yieldprojection and/or the crop production cost projection will occur, modifythe agronomic prescription to decrease the crop yield projection and/orthe crop production cost projection for the second selected field.
 12. Acomputer system for management of an agricultural enterprise comprising:a memory; one or more cloud-based databases; a network or acommunication connection; a processor coupled to the memory, the one ormore cloud-based databases, and the network or the communicationconnection; wherein the processor, the memory, the one or morecloud-based databases, and the network or the communication connectionform a single computerized platform for: (a) collecting and inputtinginto one or more cloud-based databases and being processed by a firstdata processing module for each individual agricultural field selectedfrom an agricultural producer's farmlands, a set of historical annualplurality of physicochemical data sets and a plurality of topographicaldata sets collected from a set of predetermined locations in each ofselected individual agricultural fields comprising the farmlands, and aset of current annual plurality of physicochemical data sets and aplurality of topographical data sets for each of said selectedindividual agricultural fields; (b) obtaining and inputting into one ormore cloud-based databases and being processed by a second dataprocessing module for each selected individual agricultural field, a setof current annual pre-sowing crop production planning data records andcrop selection data records, and optionally, a set of historical annualpre-sowing crop production planning data records and crop selection datarecords; (c) obtaining and inputting into one or more cloud-baseddatabases and being processed by a third data processing module for eachselected individual agricultural field, a set of historical annual cropproduction data records, said production data records includingidentification of the crop produced, crop growth rate data, harvestedcrop biomass yield data and/or harvested crop seed yield data, chemicalfertilizer input data, pesticide input data, growth modulating productinput data, and a set of current annual crop production data records;(d) obtaining and inputting into one or more cloud-based databases andbeing processed by a fourth data processing module for each selectedindividual agricultural field, a set of historical annual data set ofagronomy service providers and cost data records listing each agronomyservice delivered prior to and during each crop production cycle, and aset of current annual data set of agronomy service providers and costdata records; (e) obtaining and inputting into one or more cloud-baseddatabases and being processed by a fifth data processing module for eachselected individual agricultural field, a set of historical annual datarecords listing harvested crop inventory records, sales records, andrevenue records, and a set of current annual data records listingharvested crop inventory records, sales records, and revenue records;(f) obtaining and inputting into one or more cloud-based databases andbeing processed by a sixth data processing module, data recordspertaining to overhead expenditures incurred during one or morehistorical crop production cycle(s); (g) automatically performing acomputer-implemented analysis of the set of historical annual data andthe set of current annual data for each of the data processing modulesand producing therefrom one or more analysis summaries for each of saiddata processing modules; (h) automatically creating with acomputer-implemented program an agronomic prescription for each of twoor more selected crops being considered for a next crop production cycleon a first selected field and generate therefrom, harvested crop yieldprojection, a crop production cost projection, and areturn-on-investment revenue projection for each of the selected cropson the first selected field; (i) automatically performing acomputer-implemented analysis of the analysis summaries in reference toeach of the crop production prescriptions for the first selected fieldwherein the analysis provides a comparison of the harvested crop yieldprojection and the crop production cost projection for each of the twoor more selected crops; (j) repeating (1) the creation of an agronomicprescription, a harvested crop yield projection and a crop productioncost projection for each of two or more selected crops being consideredfor a next crop production cycle on a second selected field, and (2) thecomputer-implemented analysis of the analysis summaries in reference toeach of the agronomic prescriptions for the second selected field; (k)from the inputted selections of a crop for the first selected field anda crop for a second selected field, generating with acomputer-implemented program a work order comprising one or more of asupply of seed, a supply of fertility products, a supply of pesticides,performance of agronomic services, performance of equipment maintenanceservices, and performance of overhead services; (l) electronicallytransmitting the work order over a network to one or more selectedsuppliers and/or one or more selected service providers pertaining toplanting and growing of said selected crops; (m) generating a series ofalerts associated with the work order to enable tracking of delivery ofthe ordered products and/or services; and (n) generating a series ofcurrent status reports for each of the data processing modules, saidcurrent status reports electronically accessible by the producer and byan authorized and authenticated supplier or a service provider.
 13. Acomputer-readable storage device comprising computer-executableinstructions for management of an agricultural enterprise, wherein theinstructions, when executed, cause a processor to perform actionscomprising: executing in a memory of a single computerized platform, (a)collecting and inputting into one or more cloud-based databases andbeing processed by a first data processing module for each individualagricultural field selected from an agricultural producer's farmlands, aset of historical annual plurality of physicochemical data sets and aplurality of topographical data sets collected from a set ofpredetermined locations in each of selected individual agriculturalfields comprising the farmlands, and a set of current annual pluralityof physicochemical data sets and a plurality of topographical data setsfor each of said selected individual agricultural fields; (b) obtainingand inputting into one or more cloud-based databases and being processedby a second data processing module for each selected individualagricultural field, a set of current annual pre-sowing crop productionplanning data records and crop selection data records, and optionally, aset of historical annual pre-sowing crop production planning datarecords and crop selection data records; (c) obtaining and inputtinginto one or more cloud-based databases and being processed by a thirddata processing module for each selected individual agricultural field,a set of historical annual crop production data records, said productiondata records including identification of the crop produced, crop growthrate data, harvested crop biomass yield data and/or harvested crop seedyield data, chemical fertilizer input data, pesticide input data, growthmodulating product input data, and a set of current annual cropproduction data records; (d) obtaining and inputting into one or morecloud-based databases and being processed by a fourth data processingmodule for each selected individual agricultural field, a set ofhistorical annual data set of agronomy service providers and cost datarecords listing each agronomy service delivered prior to and during eachcrop production cycle, and a set of current annual data set of agronomyservice providers and cost data records; (e) obtaining and inputtinginto one or more cloud-based databases and being processed by a fifthdata processing module for each selected individual agricultural field,a set of historical annual data records listing harvested crop inventoryrecords, sales records, and revenue records, and a set of current annualdata records listing harvested crop inventory records, sales records,and revenue records; (f) obtaining and inputting into one or morecloud-based databases and being processed by a sixth data processingmodule, data records pertaining to overhead expenditures incurred duringone or more historical crop production cycle(s); (g) automaticallyperforming a computer-implemented analysis of the set of historicalannual data and the set of current annual data for each of the dataprocessing modules and producing therefrom one or more analysissummaries for each of said data processing modules; (h) automaticallycreating with a computer-implemented program an agronomic prescriptionfor each of two or more selected crops being considered for a next cropproduction cycle on a first selected field and generate therefrom,harvested crop yield projection, a crop production cost projection, anda return-on-investment revenue projection for each of the selected cropson the first selected field; (i) automatically performing acomputer-implemented analysis of the analysis summaries in reference toeach of the crop production prescriptions for the first selected fieldwherein the analysis provides a comparison of the harvested crop yieldprojection and the crop production cost projection for each of the twoor more selected crops; (j) repeating (1) the creation of an agronomicprescription, a harvested crop yield projection and a crop productioncost projection for each of two or more selected crops being consideredfor a next crop production cycle on a second selected field, and (2) thecomputer-implemented analysis of the analysis summaries in reference toeach of the agronomic prescriptions for the second selected field; (k)from the inputted selections of a crop for the first selected field anda crop for a second selected field, generating with acomputer-implemented program a work order comprising one or more of asupply of seed, a supply of fertility products, a supply of pesticides,performance of agronomic services, performance of equipment maintenanceservices, and performance of overhead services; (l) electronicallytransmitting the work order over a network to one or more selectedsuppliers and/or one or more selected service providers pertaining toplanting and growing of said selected crops; (m) generating a series ofalerts associated with the work order to enable tracking of delivery ofthe ordered products and/or services; and (n) generating a series ofcurrent status reports for each of the data processing modules, saidcurrent status reports electronically accessible by the producer and byan authorized and authenticated supplier or a service provider.
 14. Thecomputer-readable storage device of claim 13, wherein said instructions,when executed, further cause the processor to perform actions comprisingprocessing additional steps (o) and (p) inserted between steps (j) and(k) wherein: step (o) comprises producing for the first selected field,an output listing the two or more selected crops, a harvested crop yieldprojection and the crop production cost projection for each of the twoor more selected crops, and an input section for the producer to input acrop selection from the two or more selected crops for the firstselected field; and step (p) comprises producing for the second selectedfield, an output listing the two or more selected crops, a harvestedcrop yield projection and the crop production cost projection for eachof the two or more selected crops, and an input section for the producerto input a crop selection from the two or more selected crops for thesecond selected field.
 15. The computer-readable storage device of claim13, wherein said instructions, when executed, further cause theprocessor to perform actions comprising: (q) making a firstdetermination of whether a selected global weather event or a selectedeconomic fluctuation will cause a reduction in one or more of a cropyield projection and a crop production cost projection for the firstselected field, and if the first determination indicates that areduction in the crop yield projection and/or the crop production costprojection will occur, modify the agronomic prescription to decrease thecrop yield projection and/or the crop production cost projection for thefirst selected field; and (r) after the first additional step (q),making a second determination whether a global weather event or aneconomic fluctuation will cause a reduction in one or more of a cropyield projection and a crop production cost projection, and if thesecond determination indicates that a reduction in the crop yieldprojection and/or the crop production cost projection will occur, modifythe agronomic prescription to decrease the crop yield projection and/orthe crop production cost projection for the second selected field. 16.The computer-readable storage device of claim 13, wherein saidinstructions, when executed, further cause the processor to performactions comprising: obtaining from one or more third parties andinputting into a seventh data processing module, one or more of (1) aset of historical annual data and a set of current annual datapertaining to satellite imagery of one or more of the individual fields,(2) a set of historical annual data and a set of current annual datapertaining to weather data relating to the farmlands, (3) a set ofhistorical annual data and a set of current annual data pertaining toindustry financial data pertaining to seed prices, (4) a set ofhistorical annual data and a set of current annual data pertaining tofertility product prices, (5) a set of historical annual data and a setof current annual data pertaining to pesticide prices, (6) a set ofhistorical annual data and a set of current annual data pertaining toproduction contracts, (7) a set of historical annual data and a set ofcurrent annual data pertaining to agronomy services pricing, (8) a setof historical annual data and a set of current annual data pertaining tocommodity prices and commodity futures prices, (9) a set of historicalannual data and a set of current annual data pertaining to insurancepricing, and (10) a set of historical annual data and a set of currentannual data pertaining to lenders' interests rates, and then performingsteps (g) to (m).
 17. The computer-readable storage device of claim 13,wherein said instructions, when executed, further cause the processor toperform actions comprising: obtaining and inputting into an eighth dataprocessing module, one or more of a set of historical annual financingof costs data and a set of current annual financing of costs datapertaining to (1) acquisition of the individual fields, (2) acquisitionof capital equipment, (3) crop production, and (4) storage and deliveryof harvested crops, and then performing steps (g) to (m).
 18. Thecomputer-readable storage device of claim 13, wherein said instructions,when executed, further cause the processor to perform actionscomprising: obtaining and inputting into a ninth data processing module,one or more of a set of historical annual data and a set of currentannual data pertaining to (1) crop insurance costs, (2) propertyinsurance costs, (3) equipment insurance costs, and (4) credit insurancecosts, and then performing steps (g) to (m).
 19. The computer-readablestorage device of claim 13, wherein said instructions, when executed,further cause the processor to perform actions comprising: obtaining andinputting into a tenth data processing module, one or more of a set ofhistorical annual data and a set of current annual data pertaining tooverhead costs associated with (1) land rental fees, (2) debt servicefees, (3) line-of-credit fees, (4) electricity costs, (5) heating costs,(6) municipal water costs, (7) fuel, (8) building maintenance and repaircosts, (9) equipment maintenance and repair costs, (10) book-keepingcosts, (11) accounting costs, (12) taxes, (13) legal service costs, (14)travel costs, and (15) telecommunications and internet equipment andfees, and then performing steps (g) to (m).
 20. The computer-readablestorage device of claim 13, wherein said instructions, when executed,further cause the processor to perform actions comprising: allowing,through a workflow interface of an agronomy calculator module, a user toaccess and modify an agronomic prescription created for a selected cropon a selected field by specifying a change in (1) a type of a fertilizerproduct input, and (2) rate of the fertilizer product input.